The Role of Media Narratives in Shaping Public Opinion Toward Refugees: A Comparative Analysis

Authored by Katherine McCann, Megan Sienkiewicz and Monette Zard, this Migration Research Series paper analyses the dynamics of press coverage of large-scale conflict-affected migration in Europe through two case studies: the current Ukrainian displacement and the 2015 refugee “crisis”, related in large part to the inflow of Syrian refugees. Considering that media narratives around migration play a key role in shaping political will and policy regarding asylum, the paper applies a combination of sentiment analysis and qualitative thematic analysis to explore how media discourses have shaped the narrative around these two influxes and probe the perception that race has played an outsized influence.